


Tea and Surprises

by completelyhopeless



Category: DCU, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe, Comment Fic, Community: comment_fic, Gen, two circus birds universe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-05
Updated: 2015-01-05
Packaged: 2018-03-05 12:46:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 610
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3120668
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/completelyhopeless/pseuds/completelyhopeless
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Phil meets up with Alfred to reminisce a little. Or so he thinks. Alfred has other plans.</p><p>(now with a change to the end because it wasn't right.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Tea and Surprises

**Author's Note:**

  * For [CaraLee](https://archiveofourown.org/users/CaraLee/gifts).



> And for the prompt: _[MCU, any, the lone tea drinker in a sea of coffeeholics](http://comment-fic.livejournal.com/542394.html?thread=77014458#t77014458)_
> 
> I swear I was going to do an ensemble Avengers piece for this, but CaraLee asked me for a Coulson meets with Alfred piece, (sorry, no Lucius, not yet) and I caved instead of working on what I should update. I couldn't get this prompt out of my head while writing this and I will do that ensemble piece later when I can get this AU out of my system.
> 
> This interlude could go between parts fifteen and sixteen of the overall story arc.

* * *

The Englishman wasn't hard to find, the lone tea drinker in a sea of coffeeholics, with better etiquette than the whole coffee joint, and Phil found himself smiling as he picked the older man out. Tea sounded like a good idea today, reminding him of May, and that made him smile, too. She was new, and she was raw, but he saw potential in her.

He got his tea and sat down across from Pennyworth, letting it steep a little. “Long time no see.”

“Indeed,” the older man agreed. “I hope you are well, Phillip. You did seem quite... upset before you left.”

Upset was not the word Phil would have chosen, but at least Pennyworth wasn't calling him 'Master Phillip,' like addressed almost everyone else in his life. “If you called me here to ask me back as the boys' tutor, I'm going to have to turn you down. Not even Wayne pays enough for that.”

“Oh, I would not want to ask you back to Gotham. Batman does not like others operating in his city,” Pennyworth told him, and Phil choked on his tea.

“Excuse me?”

“I know you're with S.H.I.E.L.D,” Pennyworth went on, and Phil frowned. He should have known. If the kids he was teaching doubled as vigilantes, there was no way the butler was ordinary. “We need not pretend otherwise. I did not seek you out so that you would lie to me.”

Phil forced a smile, trying to regain control of the situation. “I had thought maybe you wanted to commiserate over what Clint and Dick were up to like we used to when I was their tutor, but I know that's not it. I heard about the car accident—”

“Phillip.”

“Okay,” Phil said, shaking his head. “I mean, I know about Robin going missing and Hawkeye almost dying. Nice cover story, by the way. Very convincing.”

“Thank you.”

“Dick's not dead.” Phil didn't know why he would care—the boys had been outright terrors when he was undercover as their tutor. He shouldn't care what happened to Dick Grayson one way or another. “Is he?”

“I fear my concern lies with Master Clinton,” Pennyworth admitted. “He left us not long after Master Richard's return, and I fear he has started down a path that he will find it difficult to return from.”

“You mean he's killing again.”

Pennyworth looked perturbed for a moment and then nodded. “Yes, I fear so. Batman is quite adamant about such things in his city. Hawkeye is no longer welcome as Robin's companion or anywhere near him. I have seen what such separation does to those two boys, and I have no desire to repeat such a thing. Nor do I want any harm to come to Master Clinton. He is angry and lost, but he is not a bad man. He did not get what he should have from our home despite my efforts, and I will never forgive myself for that.”

“You want me to watch out for Barton.”

“Yes.”

“You want me to _recruit_ Barton.”

“Yes.”

“I think hate you as much as I hate them, old man.”

Pennyworth smiled. "We both know that is untrue. As much as the boys tormented you when you were under Master Bruce's employ, you are fond of them. It is almost impossible to avoid caring for them despite their antics and their ability to destroy."

"Almost, but it is," Phil said, only to have the butler ignore him.

“You'll do it? Look after Master Clinton?”

Phil left without finishing his tea. He would regret this, but he had a rogue bird to find.

**Author's Note:**

> Made a small but not necessarily minor change to the end. It needed it.


End file.
